The Wedding Planner II: The Next Chapter
by Chenai
Summary: Follow up to the original. As she faces the arrival of her first child with Randy, Beth has a new batch of problems to deal with. Watch as secrets are revealed and lies are exposed! Randy, OC
1. Chapter 1

THE WEDDING PLANNER II : The Next Chapter.

_So sorry about the wait… I was going to post this straight away but I've had a family emergency that has kept me off of the computer. I really didn't mean to leave you guys in the lurch for that long, so once again I apologize as I know how frustrating it is when you're left on a cliff hanger for so damn long! _

_For new readers, I suggest you go read the first instalment as this follows on from that and will also involve and deal with a lot of my characters past issues that were written about in the last one. _

_Thanks to all my reviewers so far, hopefully I'll hear from you on this to!_

_The standard warning…_

**This story contains sexual content and strong language which should not be read by anyone who is under the legal age of consent in your area.**

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11th June, 2004 : Stamford, CT.

With more issues than a teenage girl hooked on Vogue and moments that could only be described as scenes from your favourite soap opera, it was safe to say that at nineteen years of age Bethany Flair had already dealt with more than most people. Where as some would break down and call it quits, Beth had faced each and every one of her problems head on and had fought her way through them all with help from her friends, family and an inner strength that many people commended her for. After dealing with rape, death and a mother's betrayal, she had begun to feel like she could overcome anything that was thrown her way…

…But that idea was blown to smithereens when she had been diagnosed with her cardiomyopathy problem. Something that not only affected her, but her unborn baby aswell.

**FLASHBACK : (APRIL 18TH 2004)**

"_No." Beth told him, taking them all by surprise._

"_Beth, don't be making any hasty decisions." Her Uncle warned, doing his best to remain calm when really he wanted to get up and scream at his niece for even thinking about turning down the surgery. "We need to talk about this; do you even realize how serious this is?"_

"_Of course I do! But what do you expect me to do? Just forget that I have my son growing inside of me?" She looked over at Randy. "Our son…"_

_Randy was still gob smacked and hadn't said a word. He was faced with a heart wrenching choice; should he support his girlfriend on her decision to keep their child and face the prospect of losing the love of his life? Or should he put her health first and suggest that she terminates the pregnancy and has the life saving surgery straight away? "Beth… You could die." Randy swallowed, looking up to meet her cold stare._

"_So we should kill our baby instead? Is that what you are saying?"_

"_I'm going to speak to the doctor outside," Ric informed them, rising from his seat. "I suggest you talk some sense into her, Randy…"_

"_I can't believe you're not supporting me on this," Beth snapped at him once they were gone. "I mean, am I the only one who wants this baby?"_

"_Of course I want the baby, Beth." Randy sighed, throwing his hands up. "But if I have to choose between you and something that isn't even here yet, than I choose you…"_

"_It's not a matter of choosing between us, Randy." Beth shot back. "The doctor never said that I needed this surgery right now, he just said that I needed it. I could wait, you know? Just until after the baby is born…"_

"_But what if something happens before then? What if your heart fails or something? Losing my child is one thing, but if I lost you to?..." He trailed off, becoming rather emotional._

_Beth watched as he leant forward and placed his head in his hands. "You're not going to lose me," She said in a whisper, feeling herself well up._

_They remained in silence for a few minutes as Randy struggled to get a hold of his emotions. She had never seen him cry before, so Beth herself was pretty speechless anyway. "I'm sorry…" She sniffled._

_Randy looked up, his tear-stained face becoming visible for the first time. He scooted his chair over so that he was closer to her bedside and took her hand in his. "You have nothing to be sorry about," He insisted, giving her hand a squeeze. "We never knew this was going to happen."_

"_I'm not going to get the abortion, Randy." Beth broke to him, her eyes glazed over with tears._

While everyone had hoped that she would change her mind, Beth hadn't budged at all. She was determined to have this baby and was set on becoming a mom. Randy was trying his best to support her decision and two months on, their relationship still remained strong. He was doing his best under the circumstances, but if you asked any wrestlers wife or girlfriend, than they'd tell you how difficult it is to have a man who's on the road for more than half of the week while you hold the fort at home.

"**Step away from the box, Flair."**

Beth groaned, taking a step backwards. The young couple were moving their belongings into their new home. With Beth off the road, she needed something to fill her time and after a long debate Randy had decided that sorting paperwork at WWE Headquarters would be a reasonable, stress-free way to keep her busy while he was away wrestling.

…That and she would be working with Shane, which meant he would be able to keep an eye on her while Randy was gone.

Jogging over, He stopped infront of her and wagged his finger in her face. "No lifting," He warned, reaching down to lift the box off of the ground.

She cocked her head and frowned. "It's a box of pillows, Randy…"

"So?" Randy retorted, carrying the box back into the house. "It could be a box of air and I still wouldn't let you carry it."

"Since when did you-" She paused, rethinking what he had just said. "A box of air? Why the hell would we be moving in a box of air?"

Randy eyed her, shaking his head while stepping back outside to collect another box. "You know, sometimes I wonder why you're not blonde…" He mused.

"Because I lived with the Hogan's and saw first hand the damage that peroxide does to your hair," Beth pointed out, standing in the doorway. "Besides, it's a proven fact that brunettes do it better…"

Re-entering the house, Randy licked his lips and walked towards his heavily pregnant girlfriend. "They most certainly do…"

Beth giggled, stepping into his arms as Randy bent his head and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him as they parted. "How about we take a break from unpacking and go check out the new bedroom?"

Randy's mood changed as he gently untangled himself from her arms and took a step back. He had been reluctant to do anything more than kiss since Beth had found out about her heart problem and had been worried that anything they did sexually would affect her or the baby.

"I'm not some china doll, Rand." Beth stated with a sigh. "I'm not going to break, you know?"

"I know that…" Randy insisted with a shrug, avoiding eye contact with her.

"So then what is it?" She huffed, throwing her hands up. "Do you not find me attractive anymore… Is that it?"

"Of course I find you attractive, baby…" Randy insisted, resting his hands on her waist. "You're absolutely beautiful. It's just… I'm scared I'm going to hurt you, you know?

"We spoke to the doctor about this, remember? He said its fine." Beth reminded him with a smile. "So are we going to go upstairs, or what?"

Feeling convinced, Randy shot her a smile and took her hand, leading her towards the stairs.

_**Two hours later…**_

"Did you just hear the doorbell go?" Beth asked, turning her head to look at Randy.

Randy shrugged, both of them staying silent until the familiar sound could be heard again.

"It might be Dave." Randy explained while climbing out of bed. "He said he might stop by after he's been to the gym…"

"How about you don't answer it and we stay in bed?" Beth suggested, patting the empty space beside her.

"I really think we should get the rest of our things unpacked, babe." Randy replied, pulling on his discarded clothes. "I'm flying out tomorrow morning, remember?"

Beth eyes narrowed as she struggled to pull herself up. "Let me explain something to you…"

_Uh oh…_ Randy thought to himself. _Here come the pregnancy hormones…_

"Being pregnant means that my libido is twice as high as usual, and it's been that freaking way since my second god damn trimester. But you, Mr. too-concerned-to-pleasure-your-girlfriend, have not given me any loving for over a month… A MONTH!" She stressed, waving her arms about. "Now incase you haven't realized… I'm fat. And being this fat and pregnant makes it much harder for us to get it on…"

"But we just-"

She cut him off. "I'm eight months pregnant! Every day I'm gaining like, an additional 200 pounds! Soon you're going to be cut off, you know that right? And as soon as we have this baby it's going to be nothing more than sleepless nights and midnight feeds."

Randy's eyes widened. "I'll go get rid of him!"

Beth smiled and watched as he left the bedroom and clambered down the stairs as fast as he could. She could hear him conversating with someone downstairs, but was unable to make out the voice of the other person.

"Uhh… Beth, I think you should come down here…"

Groaning, Beth spent the next two minutes trying to get out of bed. After finally managing to pull herself up, the brunette made her way towards the stairs and carefully climbed down them. Only when she reached the bottom did she finally see who really was at the door.

"Mom?" She gasped, taking a step back. "What are you doing here?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note:** _Sorry about the wait! I had this notepad where I had written down ideas for where this was heading, and I've misplaced it so I was waiting to see if I could find it. Well, it's totally disappeared so I'm going to just rethink how I'm going to go about this. I have the memory of a goldfish, so I totally can't remember what I had planned. Ugh! It's so frustrating. Anyways, do not worry, I'm going to get my brain into gear and decide what's happening next. But for now, enjoy this short chapter and look out for updates as far as my other stories go!_

socalledsara:_ I will update more regularly, I promise! X_

Princess Mel:_ Corrected it, thanks for pointing it out. I always proof read but that one must have slipped! X_

Kimblerlin:_ thanks! Hope you like this chapter x_

Cenaluver87:_ Having sex in your third trimester isn't dangerous. It's only dangerous if you have complications like placenta previa or if your water has broken because your baby will no longer be protected against infections and such. If you're having a normal pregnancy than it is safe to have sex all the way through, unless the doctor says otherwise. It's just more difficult due to your size. Thanks for reviewing though! x_

a-mee. xo: _Glad you liked that chap! Yeah.. Pregnancy hormones are, well… LOL. Poor Randy! x_

super G: _Here's an update for ya. Glad you've enjoyed reading so far! x_

Caged Sparkle: _Thank you for reviewing! As far as my emergency goes, everything's fine now. Thank you for asking! The Liz mystery… I have that all planned come to think of it. It's coming soon! I Promise hehe. X_

**This chapter contains strong language and strong subjects. Don't read it if you can't handle it, or if you aren't of age.**

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11th June, 2004 : Stamford, CT.

Randy's eyes stayed glued to Beth who had a mix of anger and confusion plastered across her face. Her mother, Jackie dropped her bags and opened her arms, expecting her daughter to give her a hug. Instead Beth stepped back. She didn't want to be anywhere near this woman.

"Surprise!"

"You don't say…" Randy mumbled.

Beth turned to Randy. "I'm dreaming, right? I've got to be dreaming…"

Jackie moved towards Beth, her hands reaching for her daughter's heavily pregnant stomach. "Wow honey, you've gotten so big!" She observed.

Beth took another step back, reaching the edge of the stairs. "Have you suffered some kind of head injury? Or are you just plain stupid?"

Offended, her expression darkened. "Excuse me?"

At this point Randy cut in. "Babe, maybe you should sit down? You remember what the doctor said, this isn't good for you or the baby…"

She barely even acknowledged him. "What are you doing here, huh? Have you finally realized that your poor excuse of a husband is a rapist? That he took advantage of your daughter? The same one that you're supposed to love and protect?"

"How dare you talk about your step-father like that," Jackie snapped, her face red with anger. "He is a great man who has stood by me despite all of the vicious lies you have spread about him."

"Lies?" She spluttered. "You think I'm lying about what that sick bastard did to me?"

"I don't think, I know." She reinforced. "I mean, honestly Beth! You have a child on the way now; don't you think it's time to grow up?"

"Grow up? Don't you think that was something I was forced to do when you kicked me out of my own freaking home?"

"Obviously not," She retorted.

Randy stepped in, wrapping an arm around Beth's waist. "C'mon babe…"

"No, I'm not done." She said, her voice cracking as she pushed him away from her and focused all her attention back on Jackie. "The last time I saw you, I was being loaded into an ambulance after fucking collapsing in front of you, that asshole and a restaurant full of people! And call me stupid, but a part of me actually expected you to be there for me when I woke up. I mean, I am your daughter after all. But did you? No! No you fucking didn't! You left me there and went back to playing happy families with the man who stole my innocence!"

"Innocence?" She scoffed. "You're hardly innocent. Look at you! A teenage runaway who's pregnant at nineteen by a man who is five years older than you. How long have you known him, huh? A month? Two months?"

"It's none of your business…" Beth replied in a low voice.

"I'm your mother; of course it's my business!"

"You? Mother?" She laughed. "As far as I'm concerned, _Mom._ You don't exist!"

She turned and made her way up the stairs, stopping dead in her tracks when she heard her mother call out something.

"Your father would be ashamed of you!"

That was a low blow. Feeling the tears threaten to fall from her eyes, Beth continued up the stairs until she was on level ground and inside of the confines of their new bathroom. Hearing the click of the lock, Randy knew it would be a while before she came out again. Before he chased after her, Randy glared at the woman who had caused his beautiful girlfriend so much pain. He wanted so badly to yell at her, to tear her apart for ever hurting someone as special as Beth, but instead he made his way up the stairs after her.

Beth needed him right now and that was all that mattered.

_**An hour and a half later…**_

Randy remained by the door for another ten minutes trying his best to coax her out of the bathroom until finally giving up when he heard someone hammering on the door downstairs. Pulling himself up, he leant against the door and let out a sigh.

"Babe, I'll be right back okay? There's someone at the door…"

Receiving no response, Randy jogged down the stairs and dodged past the various removal boxes until he reached the front door. Without checking who it was, he pulled open the door and frowned at John who was stood on the other side. "Wow, my day really can't get much better, can it?"

John pushed past him and instantly began looking around the house, presumably for Beth. "Where is she?"

Randy blinked a couple of times. _How the hell did he know what was going on?_ Closing the door behind him, he turned to face John who reiterated his question, this time with a more aggressive tone.

"Calm down, man. She's still upstairs…"

"Calm down?" He raged, throwing his arms about. "Don't fucking tell me to calm down, man. I'm at the headquarters doing a shoot for Vince when I get a call from Beth on her cell hysterical, telling me that she's locked in her fucking bathroom while her mother is downstairs. Now I don't know what the fuck you were thinking when you invited her here, but-"

This is where Randy interrupted, being forced to raise his own voice in sheer anger. "Woah, woah! You actually fucking think I'd invite her here after all Beth has told me? That I'd do that to her knowing how fragile she is both physically and emotionally? You actually fucking think I'd do that to her. Do you??"

"Well I don't know, man. You had no problem doing it before-"

That last remark hit a sore spot. Randy hadn't forgiven himself for invited Beth's mother and step-father out to dinner for her last birthday. Even though he'd had no idea about what had happened between them, it still didn't stop him from hating himself because of it. "I thought I was doing the right thing back then-"

"You? Randy Orton? Do the right thing?" He scoffed. "Everything you touch turns horribly wrong, Orton. Beth was doing just fine before you came along, trust me. She didn't need a piece of shit like you to turn up and disrupt everything."

That was it. Randy tackled John down and began beating on him, the two rolling around as they exchanged punches. Beth's loud yet tearful voice rang through the house, stopping the two men instantly as she begged them to stop. Randy stumbled to his feet while John pulled himself back against the door, fingering his lip which was sporting a fresh new cut. Both men looked up at Beth who stood at the top of the stairs, her right hand gripping the banister as she looked on tragically.

"John?" She sniffled. "Are you okay?"

Inside Randy was fuming. _Is he okay? IS HE FUCKING OKAY?_

"I'm fine, baby girl." John confirmed, doing his best to smile.

"Rand… I need to talk to John for awhile." She admitted, looking down at him.

"Fine." Randy said through gritted teeth. _Him? Why him? He'd been sat there for hours trying to get her to open up to him and then in comes Vanilla Ice and she's ready and willing to fucking talk._ "I understand."

John glared at Randy as he passed him and made his way up the stairs. Once he got to the top, he opened his arms for a hug, very aware of her large stomach. Randy watched for a second before heading into their new kitchen. He suddenly needed a drink…

… _The bottle of whisky he'd had safely hidden away in the back of the cupboard would do just fine._

"I'm sorry," Beth announced, rubbing her face in utter exhaustion.

"Sorry for what? It's not your fault your mom showed up unannounced. How was she expecting you to react?"

"Like everything's all roses in the garden, I think." Beth replied, carefully sitting herself down. "I mean, was she really expecting me to act like nothing has ever happened between the two of us?"

"I don't know," John shrugged. "How'd she know you were here, anyway?"

"Ric must have told her," Beth guessed, playing with her hands. "I mean… I know that she's my mom and he doesn't understand why we don't talk, but I just wish that he'd take a step back, you know?"

He nodded. "But maybe it's time to tell him, Hun?"

"Are you kidding me? It would break his heart, John. You know it would… He'd blame himself, murder Gregg and would end up doing fifteen to life for murder…"

"He can get in line," John mumbled.

Ignoring his last comment, Beth closed her eyes and let out another sigh. "What must Randy think of me, huh? He probably thinks that I'm just some stupid nineteen year old who has more problems than a fucking soap opera…"

"Your problems don't define you, sweetheart." John replied, taking her hand in his. "You're beautiful, strong, intelligent… Any man would be lucky to have you. And as much as it pains me to say, Randy knows just how gifted he is to have you in his life…"

"Yeah?" She sniffled, her eyes full of tears.

"Yeah." John confirmed, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "You're a one in a million."

"I wouldn't go that far…" She smiled. "I'm sorry for calling you and dragging you into all this…"

"I'll always be a part of this, Beth." John replied, giving her hand a squeeze. "We've been through too much for me to just sit back and watch all of this happen. You're everything to me… Don't ever think that there's something you can't talk to me about, okay? I love you."

"I love you too. Oh and John? If you ever want to talk, I'm here for you too okay? No secrets."

He paused for a second before finally nodding his head. "Yeah……… No secrets."

_None that he was ready to tell her, anyway._


	3. Chapter 3

_Strange chapter full of flashbacks. So I got this idea from One Tree Hill. The episode where Keith died, they used "Anger", "Guilt", "Grief" etc as titles for each part of the show and used each one to describe how a character is feeling. Thats what I'm going to do with my chapter!_

_If you've ever watched One Tree Hill than you may understand where I'm going with this, but basically I'm going to make it a kind of recap thing, because reading through it there has been ALOT of drama surrounding Liz etc, and It can get confusing and easy to forget SOOO to set up for the reveal of all, I have done this which will be a back story kind of thing. Hopefully you guys will understand lol. It can be a confusing concept I know :)_

_Please lord, let this make sense... LOL._

_Thank you to my loyal reviewers! And sorry for the gap between updating. I promise to be more regular :) Thank you for your words.. They're motivating and help me to become better!_

_Oh, and all these flashbacks take place during the OVW days. (You'll remember the flashback of Beth moving there after the whole Greg incident and John being put in charge of looking after her, and so forth..) So remember Randy and Beth have never met!_

**----------------------**

**WE USED TO BE FRIENDS...**

_"I'm going to take you out, Cena!"_

_John laughed and bounced the basketball past him, leaping into the air to hit another slam dunk. "Woooo, and John Cena hits another one. What's that make it now, Orton? 16-5?"_

_Randy mumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're only beating me because my knees playing up."_

_John laughed and shook his head, retrieving his phone which was beeping from inside his pocket. "Excuses, excuses." He paused, his face falling as he read the message that he had just been sent. "Yo, man.. I've gotta go."_

_"What? I thought we were heading back to the arena? You know Jim's gonna go crazy if we're late for the OVW show."_

_John shrugged, gathering his things together as quickly as possible. "He'll understand."_

_"Yeah, and what about Liz? You know she's at the show expecting to see you."_

_"She'll understand too," He insisted. "I'll see you later, buddy."_

_Randy frowned at his best friend. He was always blowing them off for some reason or another, and if he had to take a guess he would say it had to do with the girl that Jim Cornette had him looking after. _

**TRAGEDY BROUGHT YOU TO ME...**

_"It's positive," Beth announced, holding out the test for him to see. "I'm pregnant."_

_John's eyes widened. "A-are you sure? Maybe you should take another one?"_

_"This is the third one, John and they've all said the same. Oh my God, what am I going to do?"_

_As much as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, he couldn't. "Well you know that whatever you decide to do, than I'm here for you."_

_"What am I going to tell Ric? He doesn't even know about what happened with Gregg... Oh my God, I can't breathe..."_

_John snaked an arm around her waist and gently sat her down, rubbing her back as he tried his best to calm her down. _

_"I can't have this baby," She finally announced, taking a deep breath. "I've got to get rid of it."_

**I DON'T KNOW YOU PERSONALLY, BUT I HATE YOU ANYWAY...**

_Liz checked her watch for the third time. Where the hell was he? Tapping her foot against the ground impatiently, she looked up in time to see Randy approaching with her sister, Kara. _

_"Have you seen John today?" Liz asked, sounding rather irritated._

_"Uhhh," Randy stumbled, scratching his head. "I think he had a... family emergency."_

_"I'm sure," She said through gritted teeth. "I bet he's with that whore he calls a friend."_

_"The one Cornette has him looking after?" Randy shrugged. "Maybe."_

_"Whys he got to look after her, anyway? It's not like she's a baby. I'm sure she's quite capable of taking care of herself."_

_Randy shrugged again. "I hear she has family in the business. They're just concerned, I guess."_

_"Ohh, so she's using her family to get her ahead in life? Now there's a surprise."_

_Randy suppressed a laugh. "What's your problem with this girl, anyway? You don't even know her name."_

_"I just know the type," She said rather quickly, turning her attention to her sister. "Why aren't you at home? You have college tomorrow. You'll never become a nurse if you don't focus, Kara."_

_She rolled her eyes. "It's one night, sis. And besides, Randy gave me an offer I just couldn't refuse," She grinned, looping her arm with his._

_Her face scrunched up. "__That's__ so gross."_

**HIS LIES MAKE ME THINK THAT YOU DONT EXIST...**

_"Shouldn't you be at the show?" Beth replied weakly. "Jimmy's going to go crazy at you."_

_"I already called and told him it was a family emergency. He's fine." John shrugged, holding her in his arms. "Besides, you need me more."_

_"I feel like I'm holding you back," She huffed. "All you do is look after me, John. You should be out somewhere having a good time, meeting girls.. All that guy stuff, not sat here dealing with my issues."_

_"Your issues are my issues," He replied, pulling her closer. "And besides, I haven't found a girl good enough for me yet."_

_Her laughs eased him, but an image of Liz flashed into his mind and he instantly felt himself tense up. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her, right? _

**ONE DAY I'LL FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU...**

_Beth carried on down the hallway of the arena that would be holding __tonight's__ OVW taping. She'd had a few weeks off to deal with the pregnancy and was now back to business. She noticed a man approaching her and latched her eyes onto him. _

_He looked back at her, neither stopping to make conversation with the other._

_Little did they know that years later Randy Orton would be introduced to Bethany Flair again, and this time he would take notice. _

**HE HAS NO IDEA OF THE PAIN YOU FEEL INSIDE...**

_Beth entered Jim Cornette's office and stopped dead in her tracks, spotting her Uncle Ric sat talking to him. "Uncle Ric?"_

_He turned and looked at her, his eyes lightening up as he immediately arose from his seat and walked towards her, his arms wide open for a hug. She gladly fell into them and closed her eyes. She hadn't seen him in months, and although he was unaware of what was going on with her, it was just a relief to have him there._

_"Hey kiddo," He smiled, rubbing her back. "I've missed you."_

_"I'll leave you two to talk," Jim said kindly, excusing himself from the room. _

_"I've missed you too," She sniffled. "Thing's have been so crazy.."_

_"Jim mentioned to me that you've had the last two weeks off. Is there anything I should know about?"_

_Beth swallowed hard. She couldn't tell him about the rape, and definitely not about the pregnancy. "Just burnt out from work," She shrugged. "John's been taking care of me, though."_

_"So I hear," Ric replied, raising a brow. "Anything I should know?"_

_"Nope," She said, shaking her head. "He's just a good friend. A great friend."_

_He nodded slowly. "And you're sure everything is okay?"_

_"Thing's couldn't be better," She lied. "Honest."_


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 : A CLOSE CALL**

**A/N/Disclaimer:**_ You're going to hate me by the end of this chapter... lol. Let the drama begin! I'll try and update this one as soon as possible as I know cliffhangers suck. Please read and review and thank you to all those who have done so far. I love getting them! lol. All I own is Beth as usual._

**------------------**

22nd June, 2004 : Stamford, CT

"Ewww. Thats an awful picture of me, John... Put it away!" Beth giggled, snatching it from his hands.

"It's cute," John insisted, taking it back. "Where was this taken again?"

"You don't remember?" She asked incredulously. "This was after you're first televised match against Kurt. I was so proud..."

"You were crying," He pointed out with a smirk.

"So what?" She defended. "I'd watched you work your ass off to get called up and when it happened I may have got the tiniest bit emotional..."

"A tiny bit?" John scoffed. "You were hyperventilating so bad that I thought I was going to have to call a medic in."

"Shut up," She frowned, smacking his arm.

He laughed while pulling another picture from the box that sat between them. "What about this one?"

She took the picture from him and smiled. "That's my dad," She pointed. "And there's Ric on the right and me between them."

"You were a cute kid," John observed, examining it closer. "What happened?"

She hit him again, harder this time. John pouted and rubbed his arm. "I'm going to have a permanent bruise there with the amount of times you keep hitting me."

"You deserved that one," She argued. "We all know that my beauty has only increased over time."

"You've been around Randy too long," John said, making her laugh. "Wow. Your Dad & Ric look almost identical."

"They played on it, too." Beth grinned. "You know that whole twin swapping thing that The Bashams do when the refs not looking?" He nodded. "My Dad & Ric used to do that back when they were a tag team."

"So how's Ric doing?" John went on to ask. He was well aware that Ric was having a hard time dealing with Beth's decision to delay the heart surgery and continue her pregnancy, but when asked about it he would make up an excuse and eject himself from the conversation.

Beth's face fell at the mention of her Uncle. "I don't know, John. I can tell he's mad at me for not terminating the pregnancy but whenever I try to talk to him about it he just brushes me off and changes the subject..."

"He's just scared," John rationalized. "We all are."

Beth took his hand, smiling reassuringly. "Don't be."

He pulled his hand back and let his head fall into his hands, a sigh escaping his lips as Beth watched on helplessly. Though she was thankful for the support that she was getting, seeing those she loved the most break down infront of her like this was heartbreaking. "I'm so sorry, John.."

His head jerked up. "Sorry for what? This isn't your fault."

"It's my fault that you're feeling like this. If you didn't know me then-"

"If I didn't know you than I wouldn't be the man I am today," John interrupted with a solemn expression.

"It's just... I can't believe this is happening to me, you know?" Beth sniffed, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

John scooted over and wrapped his arms around her. She had been doing all that she could to stop herself from appearing vulnerable infront of those who knew her and was trying her hardest to be the strong one while those around her crumbled. Inside, however she was going crazy with fear. She didn't want to die.

Randy appeared in the doorway with a bag of groceries in his arms. "The store ran out of peanut butter so I had to-" He froze, looking over at Beth who was openly sobbing in Johns arms. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked as John moved back so he could take over.

"It's just my hormones," She lied, desperately wiping away her tears. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

This was the same excuse she would use over and over again and it was beginning to wear thin on Randy. He'd been trying his hardest to get her to open up to him about what was going on but Beth was having none of it. No matter what he said or did, she would not tell him what was on her mind. "Oh. Well I'm going to put these groceries away. Do you need anything, babe?"

She shook her head. "I'm okay, thanks."

John noticed that he was far from happy and excused himself, following Randy into the kitchen. "Whats up with you, man?"

"Nothing," He said through gritted teeth.

"Bullshit," John said, crossing his arms. "You know, It's not healthy to keep all that anger inside."

"Thanks Dr. Phil, but I'm fine." Randy replied, rolling his eyes.

"You sure about that?" John pressed.

Randy paused, letting out a sigh as he turned to face him. "She won't open up to me. No matter what I say or do... Nothing."

"Thats who Beth is. She's not the type of girl who will just lay her cards out on the table for the world to see. It takes awhile before she'll open up and actually let you know whats on her mind." John explained.

"She doesn't seem to have a problem talking to you," Randy retorted bitterly. "I'm supposed to be her boyfriend yet she can't even talk to me about her problems. What does that say to you?"

"You just need to give her time," John insisted.

Randy nodded a little. "You realize that we just went through a whole conversation without throttling each other?"

John shrugged. "You haven't said anything that deserves a throttling yet."

"How's Liz?"

"I take that back," John frowned. "Keep your voice down!"

"I still don't get why you haven't told Beth you have a girlfriend," Randy pondered, placing some cans away in the cupboard. "Liz obviously know you're here, right?"

John was silent.

"But she knows about Beth... Right?"

He still said nothing.

"Wow," Randy said, holding back a laugh. "Is there anything that you have told her?"

"You know what women are like. How do you think Liz would react if I told her I was using the few days I get off to go visit my pregnant best friend?"

"I see your point," Randy admitted. "But if you're serious about making this thing with Liz work than surely she's going to have to get used to your friendship with Beth. I've had to."

"We'll see what happens," He shrugged.

"JOHN? RANDY!"

Both men looked at each other and rushed into the living room. They were expecting there to be a problem, but instead they saw Beth still sat on the floor trying her hardest to pull herself up. "I'm stuck," She pouted.

Randy smiled and helped her up while John stood back and laughed. Beth glared at him. "You think this is funny?"

"Me?" He asked, mouth open in mock shock. "I'm hurt that you'd think such a thing."

"Johnny, come here." She said in a sweet voice.

He was hesitant at first, but soon moved towards her. Once he was close enough Beth swatted him on the arm hard. "OW! Damnit! What did we talk about earlier?"

"Thats just a warning. Next time I'm going to sit on you," She told him.

"Thats my girl," Randy said proudly, placing an arm around her.

John frowned, checking his watch. "Well despite the overwhelming sense of appreciation and love I am feeling from you, I'm going to head to the gym."

"I could use a work out," Randy mused.

"Well sorry that some of us are too pregnant to-" She paused, seeing the funny look Randy was giving her. "Oh, you meant... Nevermind."

"I think I'm about to throw up," John said, placing his fingers in his ears.

"Well why don't you go with him?" She suggested to Randy, ignoring John. "I'm fine on my own for a couple of hours. I've got some calls to make anyways."

Randy was unconvinced. "Are you sure? I don't really want to leave you on your own."

"Go," She insisted. "Thats an order."

Randy eventually nodded and bent his head to kiss her while John made whipping gestures behind them. Randy shot John a look before turning his attention back to Beth. "I won't be long, Okay? Call if you need anything."

"Will do," She smiled. "And can you guys try not to kill each other? I'm in no condition to plan a funeral."

John stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek. "I'll try, but I'm not promising anything. Take it easy, okay?"

She nodded and waved goodbye to them. "Have fun!"

Five minutes after they had left, the house phone began to ring from its place on the table. Beth picked it up and clicked answer, placing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey girl!" Came Stephanie's voice on the other end. "How are things?"

"Oh hey," Beth smiled, waddling into the kitchen. "Things are good. How's Paul?"

"He's doing great. You should give him a call, he'd love to hear from you."

"I will," She promised, retrieving the jar of peanut butter that Randy had traveled miles for earlier that day.

"So anyway, I'm in town doing some work for my Dad and I wanted to stop in and say hi. Are you home?"

"Yeah, stop by!" She said excitedly, taking a spoon from the cutlery drawer. "John & Randy have just left for the gym so I'm on my own."

"John... and Randy?" There was a pause. "Together?"

"I know," She laughed.

"Hmm. Well it's nice that they're trying to get along. But anyway, I'll be over in about ten minutes. Is that okay?"

"That's great," Beth replied. "There's a spare key in the plant pot if you just want to let yourself in."

"You keep a key in the plant pot?" Steph laughed. "Thats not obvious."

"Hey it was Randy's idea, not mine." Beth giggled. "I'll see you later."

Beth ended the call and placed the phone on the counter, taking the jar of peanut butter off of the side. She struggled to unscrew the lid and stood there trying to open it for the next five minutes. All of a sudden she dropped it, feeling a harsh pain in her chest. The jar smashed on the floor as Beth clutched her chest, gasping for air as she struggled to breath. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to call out for someone. The pain was getting worse, and with her last ounce of strength she reached for the phone on the counter, only to fall to the floor.

It was an additional five minutes before anybody arrived at the house.

Stephanie let herself in as instructed and placed her things down in the hall. "Beth?" She called out. There was no reply. She searched the living room before entering the kitchen, her breath catching in her throat when she saw Beth in a heap on the floor. She immediately went to her side, noticing that she was still struggling to breathe. "Oh my God..."

"Help..." Beth managed to get out.

"It's okay, don't try and talk. I'm going to get you to the hospital."

She took out her cell phone and dialed 911. Thing's weren't looking good.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Making That Difficult Decision**

**A/N/Disclaimer:**_ Okay so I'm really hoping that this chapter makes sense because I'm not a doctor! I actually found inspiration in a storyline from a soap opera I was watching, so I have been taking certain things from that and making them my own. I hope you're liking where this is going.. I haven't read a fic which has done this so I'm hoping it's something new for you all. Also I know the chapter is kinda short but I liked the way I ended it and thought that was the right way to go. And of course.. All I own is Beth._

_Oh also theres some huge John drama coming up soon... You're gonna love it.. or hate me for it. muaha. PLEASE read and review. I love reviews and I'll love you guys even more if you take the time to do that for me :)_

_**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf**__**mpredrox**__ & __**Princess Mel**__.. Thank you for your reviews!!!_

_---------------------_

22nd June, 2004.

Bethany's eyes flickered open. She could see a doctor stood to her left discussing something with a female nurse and began to panic when she felt the oxygen mask that was placed over her mouth. "W-whats going on? Is my baby okay?"

"You're in the hospital but we've ran some tests and your baby is fine. We're going to call in your obstetrician to make sure, but I just need you to relax and take it easy for me, okay?"

She nodded her head and let it fall back against the pillow, a single tear falling down her face as she went over what had happened in her mind. The doctor excused himself and walked into the waiting room where Randy, John & Stephanie were all waiting for some news on her condition.

"How is she?" John asked, rising from his seat.

"Is it a heart attack?" Randy swallowed, almost scared of what he would say.

"No," The doctor replied, much to their relief. "But she's having serious cardiac arrhythmias which are probably brought on by anxiety.."

"Cardiac arrhythmias?" John questioned. He was no doctor by any means.

"Basically her heart is beating so fast with such irregularity that it feels like it is actually coming out of her chest." He explained.

Stephanie used her hand to cover her mouth while John stared ahead numbly.

"The baby.." Randy began, wiping the tears from his face. "Please tell me my sons okay..."

"We performed an ultrasound but we cant be sure that because of the collapse that the oxygen wasn't cut off to the baby."

Stephanie began to sob as Randy went silent. John was next to speak up. "What about Beth? She's going to be okay, right?"

"It's not looking good," The doctor admitted with a sigh. "The echo cardiogram says that her valve is failing which is putting tremendous pressure on her heart and with the abnormal rhythms... If we don't do something about it soon than it could be life threatening."

"She should have never turned down that surgery," John mused, rubbing his face.

"Unfortunately the surgery I mentioned before is not an option now. She's so far along that a termination is out of the question."

"She wouldn't have gone through with it anyway," Stephanie huffed knowingly.

"Look, I really should be talking to Beth about this. She could use the support so if you guys want to come with me than it would be a great help."

"I'm going to go call Paul," Steph informed them. "He's waiting for a flight with Ric."

Both men nodded before following the doctor into Beth's room. Seeing her attached to so many machines broke their hearts and the look on her face when the doctor explained what was going on was even more difficult to deal with.

"I'm not having an operation," Beth said adamantly. "I'm not doing anything thats going to risk the health of my son."

"You are risking the health of your baby by not having the surgery. If you have another collapse and the baby goes without oxygen again than it's possible that it could cause damage to its brain."

"And what if I do have it? What then?" She sniffled.

"Then it's just as dangerous. There could be major bleeding, high temperatures and possible premature labor-"

"So basically both options are as bad as each other?" Randy swallowed.

"If it's going to pose a threat to my baby than I'm not doing it," Beth cut in.

"Isn't there something else you can do, doc?" John said, almost pleading with him to suggest another way around this. "I mean, I'm no expert or anything but what if she has the baby and then gets the surgery?"

"There's still a risk but it is a third option." The doctor confirmed. "She would have the cesarean and the heart surgery at the same time. But before you decide anything you should speak to your obstetrician, Bethany."

"Um, I think I need to talk to Randy." Beth replied. "Is my Uncle on his way?"

"He's getting a flight in with Paul," John told her. "Steph's gone to call them now. I'll go find her."

She nodded and watched as John and the doctor left, leaving her and Randy alone. There was silence as Randy pulled up a chair next to her and took her hand in his, holding it close to his chest as he kissed it lovingly. "Can you get me something?" She asked, looking up into his eyes.

"Anything," He responded.

"The jacket I was wearing when I got here... I think it's over there," She said, pointing him in the right direction. "Get it for me?"

He nodded and did as she asked, returning back to his seat with her black jacket. She reached into the pocket and retrieved a strip of pictures, handing them to him. He instantly felt himself tear up again as he stared at the pictures from one of her most recent ultrasounds. "Those are from last week. You weren't in town, so Ariel flew in for a couple of days and came with me."

"You shoulda' called, I would have taken time off..." Randy said, his eyes not leaving the scan pictures.

"I'm scared, Randy..." His head jerked up, surprised by her sudden admittance. She had worked so hard to stay strong infront of him but now all her walls seemed to be breaking down. "Infact scared isn't even the word... I'm fucking terrified."

"It's going to be okay," Randy insisted, taking her small hand in his large ones. "We'll get through this."

"But at what cost?" She sniffled, her eyes wandering to the scan pictures that were now resting on her tummy. "Our son? Do we just forget about him?"

"Of course not," Randy replied. "You know I want this baby, Beth. But if I have to lose you in the process?..." He trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he did his best to keep his emotions in check. "If you do nothing than I'm going to lose you. But if you have the heart operation and the cesarean than you'll make it, and there's a possibility that the baby will too."

"A possibility," She stressed, pulling her hands back. "I need some time to think things through. To get my head straight.."

Randy nodded and rose from his seat, knowing that she was asking for some time on her own. "Whatever you decide... I'll be right there." He said before he left.

**Later that night...**

The door creaked open and a familiar figure entered the room. Beth was still awake and was mulling over the choices that the doctor had given her. Hours had passed and Ric & Paul had arrived, both trying their best to talk some sense into her by convincing her to have the joint operation. Beth's glassy eyes rose to meet those of Dave Batista and she found herself smiling.

"Hey kiddo," Dave smiled back, remaining by the door. "You think you can spare a couple minutes?"

"For you I'll make it five," She said, cocking her head to a chair that sat by her bedside. "Sit down."

He settled down on the uncomfortable hospital chair and scooted nearer to her. "I guess it would be stupid to ask how you're feeling, huh?"

"Kinda," She shrugged. "Doesn't stop people, though." She paused, pushing back a strand of her brown hair. "Look, don't think I'm not happy to see you, because I am.. But why are you here? Aren't you booked in for house shows this week?"

"Vince has canceled them," Dave told her, making the young woman frown. "Rescheduling for next month."

"More work for me when I get back huh?" She joked, doing her best to lighten the mood.

"And you'll be back in no time," Dave insisted, taking her hand in his. Though she nodded, Dave could tell that she was unconvinced. "Listen," He began, a small sigh escaping from his lips. "I haven't told you this, infact neither Angie or I have told alot of people, but when we had Athena there was complications.."

Beth's eyes widened. Athena was Dave's youngest daughter and Beth would usually spend time with her when she was traveling with her father on the road. "What kind of complications?"

"Angie got in a car crash when she was about seven months pregnant. It was pretty serious and man, she was hysterical. A real mess. She was convinced she was going to lose Athena. I think we all were."

"But?" Beth pressed.

"But the doctors convinced Angie to give birth by cesarean. She finally agreed and although Athena was tiny, it wasn't long before she was putting on weight and feeding properly. After awhile they were able to take her out of the special care nursery and eventually we were allowed to take her home." Dave paused and smiled at the recollection while Beth listened on, her eyes filling with tears. "You know, I spent months working on that nursery- making sure it was perfect, and to be able to finally lay Athena down in her crib, knowing that my little girl was going to be okay... That my wife was okay.. I felt blessed, like I was the luckiest man in the world. I was so grateful.. Hell, I still am. I thank the lord everyday for what he has given me."

Beth nodded her head knowingly and gave his hand a squeeze. Though he didn't know it yet, Dave's words had brought her one step closer to making a decision. One huge step.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: A HARD DECISION**

**A/N: **_Here's another chapter for you. A very emotional one! Please bare in mind that I'm not a doctor but I have tried to research the things mentioned to write it to the best of my ability. I love this story.. It's probably my most drama-filled one! Hopefully you are enjoying it to.. Feel free to show you are through your reviews hehe. I love them._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed; __**socalledsara**__**RKOFan14**__**Princess Mel**__**Enigmatic Lotus Leaf**__**kimberlin**__ & __**Latisha C**__... I love you guys!!_

**Disclaimer: **_I own nothing and this story also contains strong language and subjects so be warned._

**----------------------------**

Time off was something the superstars of WWE were unused to. Sure, they had the occasional day, but the rest of the week was spent on the road travelling and performing for thousands of fans across the world. It was rare for Vince to completely cancel a whole weeks worth of house shows, but he had done, and why? Because a vital member of their WWE family was sick and he owed it to her and his employees to allow them to be there for her.

So while many of the wrestling worlds top stars gathered in the waiting room bracing themselves for Beth's decision, those closest to her stood around her in the cramped hospital room, praying to God that she would make what they believed was the right choice; to have the surgery.

Randy and John sat either side of Beth's bed, both men with a strong grip on one of her hands, almost scared to let her go. Ric was sat in the far corner with Paul and looked a shadow of his usual, larger than life self while others such as Dave, Stephanie, Brooke and Ariel stood around with blank expressions on their faces.

The doctor finally entered and smiled at Beth, glancing at his clipboard before finally placing it under his arm. "Morning Beth. How are you feeling today?"

"Better," She insisted, putting on her best smile.

"That's good to hear." He glanced around at the crowd. "It sure seems that you've broken the world record for the most visitors at one time, too. You sure are a popular lady, huh?"

"I'm blessed," She admitted, looking around at her friends. A pang of guilt hit her as she thought about what she was putting them through, and a part of her suddenly wished that she was all alone.

"You sure are," He agreed. "So, have you thought anymore about the surgery?"

At this point she shared a look with Dave who sent her a reassuring smile and a nod, urging her to go on. "I've thought about it and I've decided to have the surgery." She announced as a chorus of sighs of relief rang out throughout the room. Though the operation wouldn't guarantee a full recovery, everyone knew that it was the best shot she had.

"And you've thought about this? The complications and risks-"

"Yes," She cut in, closing her eyes. She didn't want to think about what could happen, she'd spent too much time doing that already. "But I've made my decision, doc.. I'm going through with it. I have to."

"Okay then. I'll begin proceedings," He informed her, heading towards the door.

"Doc? Can I have a word with you? Outside?" Ric spoke up, rising to his feet as the doctor nodded. Both men left the room, followed by Paul and Stephanie who went to update the waiting room full of wrestlers on what was happening. Soon it was just Ariel, Brooke & Beth in the room as everyone else went out to make phone calls or to grab much needed coffee.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" Beth said after a minute of silence, looking for some sort of reassurance.

"Of course ya' are, honey." Ariel smiled, crossing the room until she was at her best friends bed side. "And you know what? Your going to go in there and totally kick this illnesses ass!"

Beth laughed at her friends choice of words. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ari."

"She's right though," Brooke agreed, managing a smile as she joined her two best friends. "Your gonna' come out of this a stronger person, Bethy."

"And as a mother," Ariel added. "Your gonna' have a son, girl."

Beth smiled, her hands travelling to her heavily pregnant tummy. "You know, If I was me a year ago than I never would imagined that I'd be here. Pregnant, In love... In hospital.." She trailed off. "It's like some crazy dream."

"Tell me about it," Ariel agreed, flopping down on a seat beside her bed. "I mean, if I'm honest than I always thought that Brooke would be the first one to get knocked up."

Brooke's eyes widened. "HEY! I'm a virgin, you know!"

"So you claim," Ariel grinned. "But hey, just wait 'till your music career takes off. Your cherry will be loooong gone once you get a good look at those backing dancers I'm going to make your Dad hire."

Brooke reached over to slap Ariel's arm while she cracked up in laughter. Beth was almost brought to tears by the sight; it was just like old times. The thought of leaving these girls behind made her heart feel a whole different kind of pain. An emotional one that was almost unbearable to her. "I don't wanna die." She sniffled, catching them both off guard.

Both their hearts dropped. "Your not going to, Bee." Ariel answered quietly, struggling to hold back her own tears.

"But what if something happens?" Beth worried, her hands trembling as she raised one to wipe away her flowing tears.

"Nothings going to happen," Brooke insisted, not willing to let the thought of losing her cross her mind. "You're going nowhere."

"She's right," Ariel nodded. "Hate to break it to 'ya but you're stuck with us for atleast another, like.. Seventy years."

"Seventy more years with you two?" Beth laughed through tears. "God, that's a scary thought."

"It's reality, babe. You're staying put." Ariel went on. "We're the three musketeers remember?"

"One for all-" Brooke began, placing her hand over Ariel's.

"And all for one," Beth finished, placing her hand on top of there's.

"Now if only there was a camera rolling, because that was pure cheese." Ariel commented as all three of them burst into fits of laughter.

**-----------**

Paul quietly closed the door behind him and looked over at his pregnant friend who was sat up in bed, an array of white envelopes and paper surrounding her as she wrote something down on a notepad. "What ya' doing, beautiful?"

"Writing," She answered shortly, her eyes firmly focused on what she was doing.

As Paul got closer to her he could see that her cheeks were stained with tears. He took a seat by her bed and scooted closer, his hands falling in his lap as he tried to get a peek of what she was doing. "Writing what?"

"Goodbye letters," She admitted, avoiding his gaze as she folded what she was working on and placed it in a fresh envelope. "I wanna be prepared incase something bad happens to me in there."

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Bethany." Paul stated, repeating the words that many others had said to her over the past day. "This doctor? He's one of the best. He's dealt with situations like yours before, he knows what he's doing."

"But if something does..." She trailed off. "You'll take care of everyone for me, right? Randy, John, my Uncle... I need to know that they'll be okay."

Paul was a strong man and didn't cry very often, but to hear someone he considered family talking like this broke his heart in two. His eyes filled with tears that he desperately tried to hold back as he fought to keep a brave face. "Of course I will.."

"Thank you." She whispered, reaching for his hand. "Is my Uncle around? I really need to talk to him."

"I'll go find him," He offered with a smile, heading towards the door.

Beth took the time alone as an opportunity to move the letters she had written into the cabinet beside her bed. If something happened to her than they would be there for those she loved the most to read when she was gone. As she closed the cupboard, the door creaked open and John entered. His presence made her smile instantly, as did the bouquet of flowers he carried in with him.

"Thought you could use these to brighten up the place," John said, placing them beside her bed.

His thoughtfulness warmed her heart, but she also had to laugh. Her room was absolutely bursting with flowers that various people had brought in for her during her hospital stay. "They're beautiful.."

"Just like you," He complimented, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "I just spoke to my Dad. He's going to get the first flight out."

"He doesn't have to," Beth sighed.

"Of course he does. You know you're the daughter he never had, girl." John said with a smile, brushing the hair away from her face.

"He always used to call me daughter in law material," She remembered, giggling at the memory.

"I don't think either of my parents ever got used to the fact that we're just friends," He smirked. "The idea always seemed kinda foreign to them."

"Not many people understand our relationship, J." Beth answered honestly.

"Yeah," He agreed. "It is kinda' hard to believe that you can be just friends with someone as good-looking as me."

She laughed and reached to smack his arm. "And you say I'm the one who's been around Randy too long?" He smirked and rolled his eyes at her as they both fell into a comfortable silence. "Hey John? I have something I need to ask you."

"Shoot babygirl.." John shrugged. "What's up?"

"When this is all over with and I have this baby, I was wondering.. Well, Randy and I were both wondering if you would maybe consider being our sons Godfather?" The gesture made John's eyes visibly cloud over with emotion as she explained herself further. "I mean, we've decided to have both you and Paul as Godfathers, you know, as long as you accept - And then Ariel, Brooke and Steph as Godmothers."

"Beth.. I don't know what to say." He choked out.

"Just say yes," She said with a hopeful smile. "Please? It would mean the world to me."

"I will, but on one condition.." She gave him a look as if to ask what. "You have to tell me how the hell you convinced Randy to let me be the Godfather of your child? Seriously!"

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "You and Randy may not get along, but he knows how much you love me and this baby. That's what's important to him, you know?"

"I can respect that." He said with a smile that showed off his adorable dimples. "I'm going to go make a call. I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded her head, but as he went to leave she called his name. "What is it, boo?"

"I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too." He replied without hesitation. For the two best friends, those three words were nothing that they hadn't said before, but hearing her say it in such a fragile state almost reduced John to tears. "I'll be back in a minute."

He had only been gone a maximum of two minutes, but in those 120 seconds everything seemed to change. He re-entered the hospital ward and began to panic as he noticed a number of doctors and nurses rushing towards Beth's room. He practically ran to the door, getting close enough to see the medical team surrounding Beth while those who loved her the most stood around screaming and crying for them to help.

Tears were pouring down Beth's face as she held her chest and struggled for air. This was like a bad dream.

"She's gone into cardiac arrest," The doctor yelled as he did his best to help her, his hands moving to her chest as he performed CPR.

John fell back against the wall, the beeping of the machines and the scene before him becoming a blur as his whole body went numb. It was almost as if he wasn't there anymore. _She was fine when he had left her..._

**------------**

With the help of the defibrillator, the doctor was able to stabilize Beth's condition much to everyone's relief. John was still in a state of shock, as was Randy who sat in the far corner of the room staring straight ahead with tears rolling down his face. He had never loved someone as much as Beth, and the thought of losing her and his child was too much to bear. Ric was talking to the heart surgeon while Paul consoled Stephanie who, despite her best attempts not to, was crying silently near the door.

Randy's head shot up when he saw the doctor re-enter and he was almost immediately at his side. "What's going on? Is there any damage to the baby?"

"The babies heartbeat was regular but it was fast," He told him with a sigh. "It may have been damaged in the arrest but I'm afraid that we're not going to know anything more until the birth."

"Is she still okay to go through with the surgery?" Paul asked next.

"We'll have to wait for Beth to wake up so I can explain the situation to her-"

"You mean it's changed?" Randy interrupted.

"Well due to the arrest she's in much weaker condition, but I still believe that the surgeon will be willing to take the risk and deliver the baby by caesarean.."

"That's if she's willing to," John spoke up while running a hand over his face. "She wasn't down with the surgery in the first place. Do you really think she's going to go through with it now there's an even bigger risk of her losing the baby?"

"She has to," Randy said through gritted teeth, not willing to even consider the thought of Beth changing her mind. "She has no choice."

Things went silent as the doctor excused himself to go speak with the surgeon. Moments later, Beth's eyes flickered open and she awoke to see Stephanie above her brushing the hair from her face. "What happened?" She croaked.

"You had a little bit of a turn, but you're going to be just fine." Steph informed her, mustering up her bravest smile.

"The doctors are still discussing the best thing to do so just try to relax, okay?" Paul said in a soothing voice.

"The baby?" She swallowed, almost scared of the answer.

"Is fine," Randy finished for her, moving to her right side. "You're still going to have the caesarean like we planned."

"No," She cried weakly, closing her eyes.

"Sweetie its alright. You decided to have it, remember?" Stephanie reminded, holding back her own tears.

"I've changed my mind," She announced emotionally. "I need to talk to the doctor. Where is he?"

"Beth-" Randy started, ready and willing to argue his point.

"Randy, I want to speak with my doctor." She repeated more forcefully this time. "Please go and get him."

Randy eventually retreated and did as she asked, reappearing with the doctor minutes later. Once there, Beth voiced her feelings and made it clear that she had changed her mind, even when the doctor tried to convince her otherwise. "I'm not having the caesarean or the operation. I can't risk it." She repeated over and over again stubbornly.

Everyone was in disbelief. Well everyone apart from John He knew Beth like the back of his hand and had expected this as soon as she had taken that bad turn. The doctor politely asked everyone else to leave the room so he could talk to Beth alone and Randy had already stormed off to go find Ric who was still speaking with the heart surgeon, very much under the impression that his niece was having the joint operation.

"Beth-" The doctor began, only to be interrupted.

"We've gone through the risks, okay? I know what I'm doing. I'm weak, doc. I can't go into surgery like this and risk losing my baby. My son." She managed to get out through tears. "I have to be strong, I have to build myself up, and if I have to wait full term and deal with those risks just to make sure that my son is healthy, than I will do it. I have no choice."

"But you know that if you don't have this operation than you are going to have to stay in the hospital up until the birth, and that both you and the baby are going to be at risk the whole time?" He reminded.

"Either way I'm taking a risk," She shrugged, her tired eyes boring into his. "But in my heart I know that the surgery is a bigger one. I can only do what I think is best, and deep down I feel like I'm doing the right thing."

"And you're sure this is what you want?" He sighed, clutching his clipboard in hand. "That I can't change your mind?"

"I'm sure." She said with nod. "Now can you get me the papers? I'm withdrawing my consent."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: THE TRUTH BURNS.. AND SO DOES THE ALCOHOL**

_**A/N & DISCLAIMER:** I am SO hoping this makes sense. It's the revelation of why John kept Liz a secret from Beth, blah blah. Long overdue I say. It's abit short but I wanted to throw something out there - this is only the beginning of the drama, I tell you! Give me feedback and if you're alittle confused pm me and I'll try and help. Check the bottom for a few extra notes _

_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I love you guys. Oh and I'm doing plans for all my stories next chapters soon, so expect them in the next couple of weeks. All I own is Beth!!  
_

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7th July, 2004 : Conneticut

The rain made a soft pitter-patter noise as it hit the window while the wind howled and blew some of the leaves from the trees outside. It was the summer time but judging by the weather in Conneticut, Winter's horrible storms had decided to stay longer than expected.

Beth gazed out of her kitchen window and watched the storm. While most complained that this weather was ugly, weeks confined in a hospital bed had made her value just being out and able to see it first hand. Freedom was beautiful!

After her latest health scare and her refusal to go through with the surgery, Beth had been told that she would have to remain at the hospital on bed rest incase something happened. Though the prospect of being cooped indoors was something Beth hated, she knew that she had to do what was right for her and her baby.

So for a few weeks she had stayed in the Conneticut hospital while doctors and medical professionals took a number of tests and tried to come up with a solution that would fix her heart and allow her to deliver the baby without complications. It had been tough and with a needle phobia as bad as Beth's, the nurses had serious trouble taking blood from her without her screaming, or without her squeezing Randy's handle until it was blue.

_Randy..._ Her heart still fluttered when she thought about him, yet a strange feeling in her gut made her feel like all was not as good as he led her to believe. Though he was still the Randy she knew at home, his deteriorating attitude at work and around others made her wonder if something had happened since she had returned back to the home they now shared.

Doctors had decided to try Beth on a new medication and the success of it had allowed her to leave the hospital. Randy had been fine up until then; Vince had taken him off house shows and allowed him to spend his time with her, and if anything the whole experience had brought them even closer together. But since then, since he had brought her back to their home, it had just been weird. Really weird.

The key in the lock told her that her other half was back. She waddled towards their front entrance and smiled warmly as he entered and closed the door behind him. She moved towards him and hugged him the best she could, becoming instantly alarmed when her nostrils picked up the harsh smell of alcohol on his breath. She wouldn't mind if this was the first time, but lately this seemed to be his routine. He'd come off the road, spend the morning with her and then make up some excuse that he was going to the gym, only to come back around this time stinking of liquor. She knew that he wasn't an alcoholic, but if he didn't stop doing this soon than he would end up one. "You get in a good work out?" She asked suspiciously.

He reached for one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers while leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her lips. He wasn't drunk, but he wasn't sober either. "Not bad. Your work outs are always better, though."

She smirked and led him towards the couch, figuring that if she could get him to sit down then he would soon drop off and she could get him to sleep until the morning. He was too much work when he was like this, and as much as she enjoyed his company she knew that it was in his best interests to sleep off the alcohol he had consumed. She managed to get him on the couch, but only by sitting down beside him. Instead of falling asleep like she planned, Randy reached for the remote and started to channel surf. Beth felt her eyes get heavy from the boredom that the sports on the television screen brought her and soon she was the one who was dozing off. When he noticed this Randy got up, heading straight for the kitchen and the alcohol he had stashed in the back of the cupboard.

As he poured himself another drink, Randy glanced back into the living room and towards his pregnant girlfriend. Though he did feel bad for the way he was acting lately, a part of him believed that Beth had brought it on herself. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a handwritten letter that he'd been carrying with him and had read over and over again for weeks now. What was written on that paper was the reason for his change in attitude and why he was putting himself through the harming routine of getting leglessly drunk. It was a letter from Beth addressed to John; the goodbye letter that she had written to him back at the hospital. He began reading it again, only torturing himself some more as his eyes scanned across the shocking words on the crumpled up paper.

**Dear John,**

**When I moved to Louisville I never expected to meet someone, let alone a guy. I was so jaded from everything that'd happened back home with Gregg and I just felt like it was me against the world. I had no one, J.. I mean, I had Ric, Brooke & Ariel but I always held back with them because I was scared to upset them with the truth. But with you? It was so different. You made me talk about what had happened because you knew I had to let it all out, and you know something, you were right, and I'll always love you for helping me realize that I could still live my life and be happy.**

**I am happy, John.. (Well I WAS if you're reading this, heh.) and I thank God for every day he gave me, even the bad ones, not just with Gregg but with the two of us aswell. I know in the beginning we wondered if there was more then a friendship there, but I'm glad that we got over things and moved on as friends. Don't get me wrong, I'll never forget what happened or how we could have ended up with a baby of our own, and if anything this pregnancy has reminded me of the baby we could have had. I still think about it from time to time, you know.. What if we'd gone through with it?? Our child would be walking and talking by now... Ugh, shut up Beth.**

**When Jim Cornette suggested I move in with you, for the first time in a long while I wasn't scared. I know that sounds crazy, but being around you brought me a sense of safeness and security that I hadn't felt since what had happened with Gregg. I guess I should thank you for that, huh? I know I've never really expressed it before, but you did save me, and for that i'll always owe you everything.**

**I want you to meet someone, John. I mean how long has it been since you've had a serious relationship!? (unless you've been keeping it a secret that is, haha.) I know you say that you're happy leading the fun, single life - but, you're getting old! You need to find someone who makes you truly happy. **

**If you're reading this then my physical presence is no longer there with you, but just know that I'm always around you and I'm always there keeping an eye on you. I love you so much, and instead of focusing on my death I want you to focus on the day when we will see each other again.**

**Be happy for me, John. Live for me! And look after Randy, please??**

**Beth xo**

The note had told him everything that he'd ever wondered. He'd always believed Beth when she told him that her relationship with John was platonic, but there was just a little niggling feeling there that made him believe that there had once been more.

Who would have thought that he'd have ended up being right?

According to the note they'd had something, something that Beth had forgotten to mention to him. That itself angered him, but when he had read that next line he wasn't sure whether he was angry or just numb.

**Don't get me wrong, I'll never forget what happened or how we could have ended up with a baby of our own, and if anything this pregnancy has reminded me of the baby we could have had. I still think about it from time to time, you know.. What if we'd gone through with it?? They'd be walking and talking by now... Ugh, shut up Beth.**

She'd been pregnant... It had been John's. That whole story about how they were nothing more than friends had been bullshit. When he thought about it more and more it began to make sense; he'd overheard John and Beth speaking about a pregnancy before and he'd confronted her, yet she had told him it was down to the rape..

-

_flashback_

_"So?" Randy started, turning to face her with a face like ice. "You were pregnant before?"_

_"It's complicated..."_

_"I'll be the judge of that," He shot back._

_"Don't treat me like I've done something wrong, Rand. Because I did what I had to do.."_

_"You did what you had to do?" He laughed. "Aborting your child is something you just had to fucking do?"_

_"Yes," She replied quietly, looking down at her lap as a few tears fell from her eyes._

_"Oh don't start the water works on me, Beth." He spat, crossing his arms as he took a few steps towards her. "You took away an innocent child's life, and then you planned to do the same again. Tell me something, what was the difference between that baby and the one you're carrying now?"_

_"I didn't want that baby," She sniffled._

_"Well we didn't exactly plan to have this one, did we?" He replied, rolling his eyes._

_"It's different.."_

_"How?"_

_"I was in a whole different situation.."_

_"How?" He repeated._

_"Things weren't like they are now.."_

_"HOW?"_

_"I WAS RAPED!" She screamed out, Randy's face falling as Beth finally looked up to him, tears flowing freely down her broken face. "Is that what you wanted to hear!"_

_It was as-though he had lost the ability to speak. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, his mouth wide open as Beth wept openly, her head falling in her hands._

_"I was raped," She repeated through tears. "I was raped and impregnated by my own fucking step-father..."_

_end flashback_

_-_

He desperately wanted to believe that she was telling the truth, but as Randy thought about it more he realized that as crazy as all of this seemed to him, it did add up. Around the same time that Beth had moved to Louisville, John had began to distance himself from their group and his girlfriend Liz. It was because of a girl Jim Cornette had him looking after, and coincidently Cornette was the one who Beth had been working for at the time.

_How could he have been so stupid not to have realized it before?_

Maybe the biggest clue in all of this was the fact that John had told him that a girl had once had an abortion for him. It just never clicked that the girl could have been his Beth. The thought alone made him pour himself another drink and down it in one, the harsh liquor not having much of an effect as he was so used to this routine since he had read the letter those few weeks ago.

Beth waddled into the kitchen and frowned when she saw him downing another drink. "Don't you think you've had enough?"

He tensed up. The old Randy would cuss and yell but with Beth he just couldn't bring himself to do it. She was carrying his child and as badly as he wanted to confront her and find out what the hell was, or is going on - he just couldn't. He couldn't risk it.

"One more wont hurt," He shrugged, pouring himself what was left in the bottle.

He didn't look at her because he couldn't handle seeing the hurt in her eyes, or for her to recognize the same in his. He began to wonder about all those times that he'd let her go stay with John and he felt himself get angry. They'd done it before, what could have stopped them from doing it while he and Beth were together? He jolted when he felt a hand on his arm and turned to stare at his concerned looking girlfriend.

"Um... John's going to be here soon." She said in a quiet voice, almost as if that was a plea for him to stop.

Randy slammed the glass down a little too hard and clenched his jaw as he counted to ten in his head. He was determined not to bring up what he had read in that note, but comments like that made it harder for him to stay quiet. After a few seconds he bent his head and kissed her quickly before heading towards the stairs. "I'm going for a shower."

She watched him disappear while running her fingers across the spot he had just kissed. How could a man be so loving, yet so disconnected from her at the same time? She didn't get a chance to think of the answer to her own question because the doorbell rang and she was waddling her way towards it to open it. As predicted John stood the other side with a can of paint in each hand and held them up for her to see. "Your nursery decorating machine is here!"

"Isn't it 'the champ is here'?" She joked, accepting the hug he offered her.

He playfully rolled his eyes and walked inside, looking around the house for any sign of Randy. When he didn't find it downstairs he turned to face his best friend. "Where's the father-to-be at?"

"He's taking a shower," She said with the best smile she could muster. "He'll be down soon."

John noticed the look on her face and frowned, placing the tins of paint down as he walked back over to her. "Is he still drinking?" He asked calmly, hiding his secret urge to go up there and beat his ass.

"He's OK, John." Beth defended, knowing in her heart that it was not true. "He's just stressed out. It'll be different when the babies here."

John decided to bite his tongue and stay quiet, instead directing their conversation into a more positive direction. "So I got the blue you wanted for the nursery, though I still don't get why they have ten million different shades for one freaking color." He frowned and shook his head at the thought. "Sale blue? Ocean blue? What happened to just light blue and dark blue!? Life would be so much simpler.."

She laughed and smacked his arm. "You're such a nerd."

"Yeah, but you love me for it." He grinned, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. "It's good to see you, Theresa."

"You too, Felix." She smiled.

At that second Randy appeared at the top of the stairs with a face like thunder as he stared down at the display of affection between the two of them. Beth looked up and smiled at him while John just nodded in his direction. "Sup man?"

Randy didn't say a word as he made his way down the stairs and instead grabbed his leather jacket and car keys. "I need to run out to the store, I'll be back in a bit."

"You've been drinking, you're not driving." Beth said in a hushed whisper, her hand on his arm.

He shoved his keys into the pocket of his jacket and shrugged. "I'll walk then."

"It's pouring it down outside! Just stay here." She sighed. "Please?"

He thought for a second and looked over at John before placing a gentle kiss on his girlfriends lips. "I'll be right back, babe."

Beth looked at John for help as Randy opened the front door and stepped outside. Seeing the look of distress on his best friends face, he quickly followed him outside and made sure to close the door so she couldn't see. He followed him down the path to his black Hummer H2, stopping him before he could climb into the drivers seat. "Yo! I thought you told Beth you wasn't gonna' drive?"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," He answered sourly.

"Get in the other side, I'm driving." John ordered, snatching the car keys from his hands.

"Get in the car with you?" He scoffed. "I think I'll pass."

"What's your problem?" He snapped, growing tired of his new attitude. "I thought we agreed to try and get along for Beth's sake?"

"Yeah well that was before." He said shortly.

"Before what?" He growled, furrowing his brows in frustration. "What the hell are you on about?"

"Before I found out about the two of you," He finally said, locking eyes with the older man for the first time. "I mean, you did almost have a baby with Beth before me, didn't you?"

All the colour seemed to drain from John's face in a matter of seconds. His mouth opened and closed like a fish as he struggled to answer him. "You're talking crazy." He swallowed. "I suggest you lay off the alcohol, man. It's making you talk complete and utter bullsh-"

"Don't patronize me, John!" Randy snapped, slamming his fist down onto the hood of his prized car. "I know, OK? The secrets out. I fucking know!"

He looked back at the house and made sure Beth wasn't there before running a hand over his face. "Listen man, I'll explain everything - but not here. Let's go somewhere and talk about it, alright?"

Randy agreed and the two headed to an apartment that John was renting near the WWE headquarters. As soon as they got inside, John turned to be hit with a strong right hand off of Randy. He fell to the floor and cursed loudly, checking his nose for blood as he blinked a couple of times. "Was that fucking necessary!?" He asked as he pulled himself up, moving back a couple paces as Randy raised his fist to hit him again. "Yo, chill out! I'm not going to be able to tell you anything if you fucking cave my face in, am I?"

"Yeah but it'll make me feel better," He retorted, eyes narrowed in anger. "So c'mon then, Cena. Why'd you do it? Are you still fucking her now, huh? ARE YOU!?"

"Hell no!" He yelled equally as loud. "Of course we're not, she loves you."

"Loves me?" He scoffed. "Then why didn't she tell me about the two of you?"

"Because there's not much to tell," He shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Everyone makes mistakes, Orton. And that's what happened with Beth and I. It was a one time thing, she was vulnerable and I wasn't thinking straight - It just happened."

"When was this?" He demanded.

"Back when we were at OVW.." He admitted, swallowing hard. "Cornette moved Beth in with me, and you know.. We got along great. It was totally platonic, man. But the one night, it just happened. We both regretted it because we know there's nothing more then friendship there, but then when Beth found out she was pregnant..." He trailed off. "It just complicated things."

"Beth was underage," Randy pointed out after a few seconds. "And you were still seeing Liz. That's why you've never told them about each other, huh!? Because you wanted to have your cake and eat it too."

"It wasn't like that," He argued. "And Liz does know about Beth. They saw each other a couple of months ago and she kind of clocked on that Beth was the girl who I cheated with-"

"And the one you knocked up." He added. "So what happened, huh Cena? You made her get an abortion so your precious girlfriend didn't find out? Or so that Flair didn't find out and beat your ass for impregnating his underage niece!?"

"She wanted to," He snapped. "I said I'd support her whatever she decided, but she said she couldn't go through with it so she had an abortion."

"Worked out well for you then," He accused, crossing his arms. "Man, I can't believe I didn't figure this out before - You knocked up a chick around the same time you met Beth, and then Liz dumped you because you cheated with a girl that Cornette had you looking after.. It all makes sense now."

There was silence for about a minute before John spoke up. "How did you find out?"

Randy was hesitant to tell him. He knew how bad it would look if he admitted that he read Beth's goodbye letters, but he knew that he had to say. "I collected Beth's things when she left the hospital and there was some letters in there. One was to you, and I got curious."

"You read her goodbye letters?" He asked in disbelief. "Dude, what were you thinking invading her privacy like that!?"

"Don't try and turn this around on me so I look like the bad guy," He growled. "It doesn't change the fact that Beth told me her pregnancy was down to that son of a bitch who raped her when really it was from a night of passion with her so called best friend." He shook his head in disbelief. "So how are you keeping Beth a secret from Liz? You're down here pretty much all the time so she must think something's going on.."

"We're in Conneticut, she just thinks I'm doing extra work for Vince." He replied. "I take it that you haven't said anything to Beth?"

"No, and I'm not going to." Randy sighed. "She's carrying my Son, not to mention her heart is like a ticking time bomb. Whatever confrontation we need to have about this can wait until the babies born and she's healthy again."

Whatever John thought of Randy, he was glad that he was smart enough to realize that now was not the time to confront her about this. "She knows somethings up though, man. You can't keep drinking yourself into oblivion every night. You're hurting her."

"What else can I do when all that I can think about is you and her..." He trailed off, the thought making his brain almost bleed.

"Well you need to think of something else, Orton - because Beth doesn't need you bringing all that back up. It's the past and we buried that shit a long time ago."

Randy felt his anger rising. "Well it may be old news to you, but it's new to me, so if one day I decide I want to ask Beth why she fucked her so called best friend, then I will." He stepped closer to John, their faces inches apart as they stared at each other with intense, hateful look.

"Well let me tell you something, Orton." John began, matching his stance. "If you hurt Beth, then I swear to God it will be the last thing you do." He warned, meaning every word.

_**--**_

**A/N:**_ Re-read Chapter 23-24 of the first instalment if you want to remind yourself of the pregnancy thing. Did Beth lie when she said it was the rape that got her pregnant when it was really John's child? It looks that way. And now Randy knows... But he can't say anything to Beth yet because of her health. And Beth doesn't know about Liz, but Liz knows Beth as the girl John cheated on her with! No wonder John is making out that he has nothing to do with her. Wonder what Beth would say if she found out John was in a relationship back then, and is now!_

_The truth always comes out in the end, eh. Hope you got this I know I left it a long time._

_Please review n let me know what ya think!!_


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